A La Carte Menu Programs

It's time to talk a la carte menu programs as far as real estate. What are they, and how are they of benefit to you as a buyer or seller, or even a brokerage?

A la carte real estate menus are based on the concept of the a la carte restaurant menu. Instead of being sold as a package under one fixed price, services are instead broken down individually and assigned different values.

To compare a la carte with other menu programs, think of a meal deal at a fast food restaurant. You get a burger, fries, drink, and a toy for $6. When you work it all out, you actually don't end up paying any money for the toy, because the cost of the meal is cheaper than the cost of all four items purchased separately.

That's great, as long as you want all four items. But what if you don't want the toy and are more interested in having a water than a soft drink? All of a sudden, the meal option isn't such a great one. You have to pay more for the two items you do want, and end up getting two items you don't want because of it. Not to mention, there's no flexibility if you would rather have an apple than fries, or a pie instead of the toy.

What good would a restaurant be if they didn't offer you some flexibility via the a la carte menu? You would still use them, but you would always end up feeling you had received a bad bargain because you had to pay for what you didn't want, and what you didn't need.

Well, that's the world of real estate without the a la carte menu option. You have to pay a certain amount of money, in exchange for which you receive services from the brokerages, often through an agent. But, you might not want or need all of these services, and why then should you pay full price?

We don't think you should. By offering services at individual prices rather than as a whole, a la carte real estate menu programs give clients more flexibility and confidence in the transaction process. They can decide which services to pay for and which to leave out, and brokers and agents can focus their efforts on these areas alone, instead of wasting time.